Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS – Get Free Report) and Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO – Get Free Report) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, profitability and institutional ownership.
Risk and Volatility
Cerus has a beta of 1.8, indicating that its stock price is 80% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bausch + Lomb has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current recommendations for Cerus and Bausch + Lomb, as provided by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Cerus | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2.40 |
| Bausch + Lomb | 1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2.33 |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Cerus and Bausch + Lomb”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Cerus | $221.55 million | 2.16 | -$15.63 million | ($0.03) | -79.33 |
| Bausch + Lomb | $5.32 billion | 1.14 | -$360.00 million | ($0.48) | -35.48 |
Cerus has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Bausch + Lomb. Cerus is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bausch + Lomb, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Profitability
This table compares Cerus and Bausch + Lomb’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Cerus | -3.06% | -10.19% | -3.14% |
| Bausch + Lomb | -3.21% | 4.14% | 1.93% |
Insider and Institutional Ownership
78.4% of Cerus shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.1% of Bausch + Lomb shares are held by institutional investors. 5.3% of Cerus shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Bausch + Lomb shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Summary
Cerus beats Bausch + Lomb on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Cerus
Cerus Corporation operates as a biomedical products company. The company focuses on developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. Its INTERCEPT Blood System, a proprietary technology for controlling biological replication that is designed to reduce blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components intended for transfusion. The company offers INTERCEPT Blood Systems for platelets and plasma, which is designed to inactivate blood-borne pathogens in platelets and plasma donated for transfusion; INTERCEPT Blood System for red blood cells to inactivate blood-borne pathogens in red blood cells donated for transfusion; and INTERCEPT Blood System for Cryoprecipitation that uses its plasma system to produce pathogen reduced cryoprecipitated fibrinogen complex for the treatment and control of bleeding, including massive hemorrhage associated with fibrinogen deficiency, as well as pathogen reduced plasma, cryoprecipitate reduced. It sells platelet and plasma systems through its direct sales force and distributors in the United States, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East, Latin America, and internationally. Cerus Corporation was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Concord, California.
About Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb Corporation operates as an eye health company in the United States, Puerto Rico, China, France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Vision Care, Pharmaceuticals, and Surgical. The Vision Care segment provides contact lens that covers the spectrum of wearing modalities, including daily disposable and frequently replaced contact lenses; and contact lens care products comprising over-the-counter eye drops, eye vitamins, and mineral supplements that address various conditions, such as eye allergies, conjunctivitis, dry eye, and redness relief. Its Pharmaceuticals segment offers proprietary and generic pharmaceutical products for post-operative treatments, as well as for the treatment of glaucoma, eye inflammation, ocular hypertension, dry eyes, and retinal diseases. The Surgical segment provides medical device equipment, consumables, and technologies for the treatment of cataracts, corneal, vitreous, and retinal eye conditions; and intraocular lenses and delivery systems, phacoemulsification equipment, and other surgical instruments and devices for cataract surgery. The company sells its products and services through direct sales forces and independent distributors. Bausch + Lomb Corporation was founded in 1853 and is headquartered in Vaughan, Canada. Bausch + Lomb Corporation is a subsidiary of Bausch Health Companies Inc.
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